A positive step towards justice for Dicle Müftüoğlu
Dicle Müftüoğlu, our 2023 Most Resilient Journalist Award winner, was released 29 February after being incarcerated for more than 300 days. However, the legal harassment continues. Her case is a textbook example of severe legal intimidation used to silence journalists who are critical of the government. Together with 19 organisations we undersigned a statement calling for her release. We still urge the Turkish authorities to drop all charges for total justice.
As the latest hearing of journalist Dicle Müftüoğlu takes place today on February 29, 2024, we call for immediate attention to her case and her unjust detention. Müftüoğlu, Co-Chair of the Dicle Fırat Journalists Association (DFGD), has been wrongfully held for over nine months on unsubstantiated terrorism charges in a case that starkly violates international legal standards and media freedom.
Case overview: A miscarriage of justice
Müftüoğlu's arrest occurred during a broader crackdown on Kurdish activists and politicians by the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office in April 2023. The circumstances of her detention, including her transfer to Ankara and the conditions therein, have raised serious concerns about her treatment and the respect for due process.
In court, the charges against Müftüoğlu have not been substantiated by any credible evidence. Her case is a textbook example of severe legal intimidation used to silence journalists who are critical of the government.
Investigative and legal irregularities
The investigation into Ms. Müftüoğlu's activities has been marked by flagrant legal irregularities:
- Restriction of access to legal counsel and investigation files.
- Interrogation without legal representation, in clear violation of legal norms.
- Inhumane treatment during her transfer, including prolonged handcuffing and deprivation of basic needs.
The indictment itself is deeply flawed, dedicating only a small portion to Müftüoğlu and failing to provide any substantial evidence of her involvement in terrorist activities. Instead, it inappropriately conflates her journalistic work with terrorism, using her association with the Mesopotamia News Agency and attendance at public events as supposed evidence of wrongdoing.
As the undersigned organisations we call upon the authorities in Turkey to immediately release Dicle Müftüoğlu and drop all charges against her. We call upon the international community, media freedom, journalism and human rights organisations to join us in condemning this unjust detention and to urge Turkey to uphold its commitments to media freedom and human rights.
Signatories
Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği (MLSA)
FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO)
International Press Institute (IPI)
Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS)
Danish PEN
P24 Platform for Independent Journalism
PEN Norway
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
PEN America
PEN International
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Freedom House
Art
Articolo 21
Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD)
